Mr Kelly Lives for a Day
by Lilou Arceneau
Summary: The passionate love affair of Jack Kelly and a married woman.
1. The Flashback Trial

**A/N**

**I do not own Newsies. I only own James and Jane Whitfield, Judge Strauss, and Elizabeth Olivers.**

* * *

"Mr. Kelly, this is the fifth time in two months you have been caught stealing. It's as if you _want _to be caught." Judge Strauss frowned down from his podium at Jack "Cowboy" Kelly, who was looking up at him with a laid-back, I-don't-really-care grin on his face. He had two guards on each side of him, holding each of his arms. His hands were handcuffed in front of him.

"Yes, sir."

"So you do?"

"No, sir. If that bastard fish-monger hadn't been in my way, I would have made a clean getaway." There were several guffaws from across the room. Jack looked back across the nearly empty courtroom to smile mischievously at Racetrack, Kid Blink, Skittery and Mush, who were all leaning forward on the iron fence watching his trial.

"Mr. Kelly! If you keep this up, I will send you to the refuge for five months!" Judge Strauss spit when he talked, Jack noticed.

"So, do it! The refuge has never managed to keep me locked up for five days, let alone five months!" Jack rocked back and forth on his heels as he listened to the whoops and hollers and the "damn straight's!" from his friends. The judge looked as if he was about to say something, but stopped. After a few seconds, he stood up.

"Very well then. Wait here." Jack watched as Judge Strauss walked down from his podium and stepped into a room while shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, Cowboy! You better watch it, he's probably getting his pistol right now so he can blow your brains out!"

"Yeah, or maybe some rusty chain so he can wring your neck!"

"Why would he want a chain when he has his own two hands?" Jack laughed along with the other newsies, but stopped as soon as his eyes traveled back to look at them. Blink, Race, Mush, Skitts, they were all there. Except for one._ David_, he thought. It had been two years since the strike, and one since Sarah got engaged to William Jones Lockton the Third. Jack had broken up with Sarah several months after they had won the strike. Try as he might, he just couldn't feel a spark between them. There was no chemistry there. Sure, they looked good together, but he didn't feel as if he had found his soul mate in her. Yes, Jack believed in soul mates. He would never tell anyone, though. Too embarrassing. You only share that kind of stuff with your soul mate, and he didn't feel right about sharing it with Sarah. A few months after the breakup, word spread of Sarah dating some hoity-toity suit. She was a sweet girl though, and she would make Lockton happy. Jack allowed his eyes to glaze over as the flashback started.

* * *

"_Oh my gosh, Jack, look! The moon is so beautiful tonight," Sarah breathed as she wrapped her hand around his._

"_Yeah," Jack agreed, but didn't say anything else, lest he shatter this delicate moment. Probably the last moment he'll ever have with Sarah, after tonight._

"_Jack! You didn't even look." Sarah put her slender hand on his chin and gently forced his face upwards. Jack studied the dark heavens in silence. They could see their own breath in the cold winter air as they walked toward the park. Jack picked the park for a certain reason. It was Sarah's favourite place. _

"Maybe she won't be too upset if she's in her favourite spot," _he thought._

"_I love going to the park!" Sarah trilled._

"Wait. Maybe the park isn't such a good idea. If I do this in the park, it might ruin it for her, and she'll never want to go there again, and I'll be tainting it with a bad memory!_"_

"_Um, on second though, why don't we go to the racetrack instead?" Jack suggested. There we go. Sarah never goes to the races._

"_What? Why? I mean we're already here." Sarah pointed. Sure enough, there was her favourite park, with her favourite bench under her favourite lamp post._

"_Shit," Jack mumbled._

"_Pardon?"_

"_Nothing. Let's sit down." He pulled her towards the bench. As they sat down, Sarah shivered._

"_Cold, huh?"_

"_Here." Jack took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders._

"_So. What's the occasion?" Sarah tilted her head up slightly as she gave Jack her trademark girl-next-door smile._

"Damn her," _Jack thought. "_Damn her for being so sweet. It just makes it that much harder._"_

"_Listen, Sarah. I've been thinking." Jack started slowly. Should he just get it over with, like ripping off a band aid, or should he ease into it, so he doesn't completely break her heart?_

"_Yes?" She inquired._

"_I don't know how to say this, but…. I mean, I've had lots of fun with you, you know."_

_Sarah's eyebrows knitted together in confusion._

"_I've had lots of fun with you too."_

"_These past few months have been really great, and we've had lots of laughs together, me and you."_

"_You and I." she corrected, but her expression of doubt stayed the same._

"_Yeah, you and I…" Jack took her hands in his. " Well, I'm going to have to do this sooner or later."_

"_Jack? What's happening?" She tried to withdraw her hands, but Jack squeezed them tight, and brought them close to his heart._

"_I'm so, so sorry, Sarah. You're a really great girl, and someday, you're going to have a very lucky husband. But, that husband is not going to be me."_

"_What do you mean?" Despite her question, Sarah already knew what was happening. Jack could see it in her tear-filled eyes._

"_I'm letting you go, Sarah. I'm letting you go so you can find that future husband and make him the happiest man in the world." Tears were spilling down her cheeks._

"_What? I thought you loved me!" She slipped her hands out of his, and this time he let her._

"_I did! I really did Sarah. But, I'm just not the one for you."_

"_Of course you are! I mean, you bought me gifts, you met my parents, we went on dates, you're my true love!"_

"_I'm sorry. I'm not." Jack whispered. Sarah was sobbing as she stood up._

"_I'm going home." She gasped._

"_Let me walk you-"_

"_No!" she interrupted. "I don't ever want to see you again! You broke my heart Jack Kelly!" She threw his jacket back at him and ran away._

"_Sarah! Wait!" But all he got as a reply were her sobs echoing in the night. Little did he know that by letting go of his girlfriend, he would also be letting go of his best friend._

_

* * *

_

"Mr. Kelly? Mr. Kelly?" Jack snapped back to reality. He realized that he had been standing there staring blankly at the wall while immersed in his flashback.

"Yeah?"

"I have come up with a suitable punishment for you." The Judge looked smug, as if he had found Jack's Achilles' heel.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Jack smirked.

"Three months of community service." The Judge sat down in his chair, as if satisfied.

"What?" Jack had no idea what that meant.

"Community service. Tomorrow you are to report here so I can give you the address of your new job."

"_New job?_"

"Well, not really a job, because you're not actually going to get paid. You will have to work as a servant or apprentice to any particular job I find suitable for you. For three months. Without pay." This time, it was Judge Strauss who was smirking.

"You can't do that! That's child labour!" Race chimed in from across the room.

"Silence, petty miscreant! Or I will find some community service for you too!" That shut Race up immediately.

"Do we have an accord, Mr. Kelly? Brilliant. Off you go then." Judge Strauss didn't wait for Jack's reply as he shooed him away. As the guards were unlocking Jack's handcuffs, the Judge chimed in "And don't forget to report here tomorrow, 12:00 pm sharp!"

"Go fuck yourself," Jack mumbled as he descended the court steps with the others trailing behind.

* * *

"Gee, sorry about the whole community whatsit, Cowboy." Mush sympathetically put his arm around Jack, but it came out looking like an awkward hug, as he was so short compared to Jack.

"Yeah, that fucking blows." Race lit up a cigar as they traveled back to the lodging house.

"I know. I mean, _without pay? _That's just wasting my time!" Jack shoved his hands down his trouser pockets while kicking a rock.

"Hey, tell you what? How 'bout we all go down to Spot's tonight? I heard he's throwing a really big party." Skittery suggested.

"I dunno. I don't really feel like it." Jack mumbled.

"Oh, quit with all the self-pity, already! You're fucking Jack "Cowboy" Kelly! You single-handedly brought down Pulitzer!" Race snapped.

"Yeah, Kelly, come on," Blink chimed in. "Your last night of freedom! Go out ad get drunk! Hell, go out and get _laid!" _They were all in tears as they reached the lodging house steps.

"Alright, alright. I'll go. But on one condition." Jack stopped at the very top step and turned to look at the others.

"What?" asked Mush. Jack grinned mischievously.

"You save the best-looking broad for me." The streets of Manhattan erupted from their previously peaceful afternoon nap into the echoing, ululating sound of laughter.

* * *

** A/N**

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading my fic, and please leave your comments and suggestion and reviews!**

**If you want to know what my original characters look like, visit my author's page and scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN! Btw, they haven't come in yet, in case you're wondering, but they will!**

**P.S. A huge round of applause for SilverShoes17i quit for reviewing and suggesting! You rock!**


	2. The Party and Sarah

**A/N**

**Hey, guys, just as a warning, there's some pretty racy stuff in this chapter. Just sayin'. I'll put an asterisk before and after the racy stuff ends.  
**

**Please review and maaaaaybe I'll review one of your stories!**

* * *

"Jacky-boy, you're here!" Spot had two different girls draped over his arm as he swaggered over to greet the Manhattan newsie.

"Yup." Jack grinned.

"You know, you're starting to look a lot better without that walking mouth nagging at you like one of them ball and chain wives," Spot joked. Jack inwardly winced, but didn't say anything. Spot noticed Jack's grim expression and rolled his eyes. "Aw, lighten up! Seriously, you're better off without him."

"Baby, I'm bored." Whined one of the girls clinging onto him.

"Oh yeah? We'll here." Spot shoved her towards Jack. "Jacky-boy here knows how to keep a girl entertained, don'cha, Cowboy?" Spot smirked, then turned to swagger off somewhere else.

"Prick," Jack muttered. He was in no mood for any of Spot's raunchy innuendos.

"So, you're the famous Cowboy?" Jack turned to face the girl Spot threw at him. She had what she probably thought was a sexy, mysterious look on her face, but it came out looking like she was so blind she had to squint to see what was in front of her.

"Uh, yeah." Jack glanced around at his surroundings. They were in the vaudeville theatre. Spot had decided to throw the party at Medda's, and Medda, ever-so-kind, let him, as long as him and his boys promised to clean up afterwards. It was filled with newsies from all over New York. There were newsies standing up, newsies dancing, newsies playing poker, newsies drinking, and so on.

"Well then? Aren't you gonna entertain me?" The girl tilted her head to the side while twirling a lock of brown hair around her finger.

"Not this time." Jack pushed past her and towards the bar. _I need a fuckin' drink,_ he thought.

"Hey, Cowboy!" Jack whirled around to look at Race waving him over. "Game of poker?" he offered a stack of cards to Jack.

"Sure, let me just grab a drink first." Jack left Race to look for an available table while he walked over to the bar.

"One, please." Jack ordered as he sat down.

"Coming right up." Jack ran his hands through his hair. He didn't feel like celebrating. Tomorrow he had to get up, 6:00 am sharp to sell papes, and then he had to somehow find a way to squeeze in lunch at Tibby's before leaving to go start his community service.

"No, thanks, I'm good." Jack was surprised to hear David's voice coming from beside him.

"David? What are you doing here?" Jack twisted in his chair to face David who had just politely declined a drink the barman had offered him.

"Oh. Hey Jack. Didn't see you there." He replied coolly. "To answer your question, I'm here for the same reason you are. For the party."

"Really? I mean, I didn't expect to see you here since, you know, since this is Spot's party."

David looked at him sideways. "So?" At this point, the barman handed Jack his drink.

"Thanks. Well, my point is, Spot only allows a stranger in if they're friends of his friends. Or if they're a girl."

"I have other friends besides you, you know!" David snapped, and Jack instantly felt bad. "Racetrack invited me." Jack knew very well that Race only invited David in hopes of him and Jack rekindling their friendship, and was about to point that out, but chose the safer option instead, which was downing his drink in one gulp.

"Hey, can I get another beer over here?" Jack handed his empty cup to the barman. "So, what's new?" Jack asked David.

"Nothing much. Sarah's wedding date is set."

"That's great! When?"

"Next month, on the 27th."

Jack whistled. "So soon, huh?" David said nothing. The barman came back with Jack's newly filled cup. "So, this Lockton fellow. He treating her right?"

"What do you care, Jack? When have you ever cared about her?" David whirled around in his chair to fully look at Jack for the first time since their conversation started.

"David, don't say that, man. You don't know how much I cared for her." Jack retaliated.

"Right." David scoffed.

"It's true! I loved Sarah. I just didn't realize that that wasn't _love _love, it was more like sibling love."

'Just shut up, Jack. I don't want to talk to you anymore. You broke her heart." David abruptly stood up and walked away.

"You're fucking immature, David!" Jack didn't care as all of the newsies turned to look at him. He just wanted to forget stupid immature David who can't learn to let go of his stupid little immature grudge. Breaking up with Sarah was the best thing Jack had ever done for her. Look at where she is now! Engaged to some richie. Jack downed the rest of his beer and released a noisy burp. He was about to look for Race and his poker buddies, when he spotted the girl Spot shoved at him earlier.

"Hey, beautiful. Where do you think you're going?" He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him.

"Ugh, you? Way to completely leave me earlier." She complained.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I just needed a few drinks to get ready. I mean, don't you want to be entertained?" He suggestively smirked at her and pulled her close to him as he started whispering in her ear.

"Oh, stop it. I can't. Where will we go?" She giggled.

"Follow me." He grabbed her hand as he lead her towards the stairs that lead to the roof. They climbed up and as they stepped onto the roof, Jack shut the door behind him and placed a heavy rock in front of it.

**"The boys and me carried this up here couple of years ago when we found out this was a good place to, ahem, _entertain_ girls." The girl giggled again at this raunchy remark, and immediately launched herself at him. Jack caught her in his arms as she wrapped her legs around him and her lips clamped down on his. Jack laid her down on her back and she tugged at the waist of his pants. Understanding this, her allowed her to pull down his pants as he lifted up her skirt, and he was lost in a night of drunkenness and ecstasy. **

* * *

"Damn, Cowboy, you look horrible. Where were you?" Blink asked as Jack entered Tibby's the next day and joined the Manhattan newsies at their regular table.

"Yeah, Kelly. You missed the morning papes." Race agreed. The night before, Jack and the girl were interrupted in the middle of their tryst by a girl who worked for Medda. She had managed to push open the door despite the heavy rock and had found them tangled together on the ground. She immediately kicked them out. The girl had wanted to finish what they started, but Jack managed to ditch her and drag himself over to the park where he slept under a tree for the rest of the night and through his morning paper shift.

"I got piss drunk and did it with a girl." There were whoops and catcalls all around.

"Jeez, Cowboy, when you party, you really party!" Skittery called out.

"Hey, uh, Jack? Not to ruin you're good mood and everything, but look who just came." Everyone turned to look at who Race was talking about. Sarah Jacobs had just walked in the door, followed by none other than William Jones Lockton the Third.

"Should I talk to her?" Jack wondered out loud as he watched Sarah and Lockton take a seat. She hadn't noticed him yet.

"Sure, Cowboy. What have you got to lose?" Blink answered.

"Here goes." Jack took a deep breath as he stood up and strolled over to Sarah's table.

"Hey, Sarah." Sarah looked up at Jack and stared at him for a bit, as if having trouble recognizing him, but soon after she gave him a friendly smile.

"Jack! How are you?"

Jack was happy to return the smile. At least Sarah got over their breakup.

"I'm great. How are you? Oh, my apologies, sir." Jack held out his hand for Lockton to take.

Seizing Jack's hand, Lockton gave Jack a curt nod. "Charmed. Do excuse me Sarah, but I have to go wash my hands." he stood up, leaving Jack with Sarah.

"Mind if I steal his seat for a moment?" Jack asked. Sarah shook her head no, and put down the menu she was previously scanning.

"Listen, before you say anything, I just want to say I'm sorry." She started.

Jack blinked in surprise. "For what?"

"Everything. For getting mad at you the night you broke up with me, for ignoring you for months after, and for my brother."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I broke your heart." He reasoned.

"No, you didn't. I thought you did, but then I met Will, and, well, now everything's just so much clearer and brighter, and oh, Jack, I'm so happy!"

Jack grinned at her. "I'm real happy for you, Sarah. I told you I wasn't your true love. I'm glad you forgave me."

"Yeah," Sarah smiled back at him, but it quickly disappeared. "But I'm afraid my brother isn't quite ready to forgive you yet. I tried reasoning with him, I told him that you were right in breaking up with me, because then I would have never have met Will. You know, he told me about yesterday. How you two had a big confrontation, and how you asked him how I was and stuff. I thought that was really nice of you."

"Well, that's me, always a gentleman." Jack joked. Sarah giggled along. They sat in silence for a bit.

"I'll talk to him. David, I mean. For you. Because I would really like for all three of us to be friends again." Sarah sympathetically put her hand on top of Jack's.

"Will you do that for me, Sarah?" Jack asked. Sarah nodded. "Thank you. Well, I best be going now. I gotta start my community service today." He stood up.

"Oh, right. I heard about that. Good luck!" Jack waved at Sarah as she began scanning her menu again. As he was leaving, Jack turned to look at Sarah again.

"Sarah?" She looked up. "I'm really glad we're friends again."


	3. The Whitfields

**A/N **

**Sorry guys, but there's another racy scene here. Once again, I'll mark it with an asterisk.**

* * *

Jack walked with a spring in his step towards where he was scheduled to meet Judge Strauss. Today he was going to learn where he was going to do his community service. That thought should've brought him down, but he didn't care. He was just happy that him and Sarah were on speaking terms again. Also, it helped a little that she promised to talk to David. "_Aw, wait," _Jack thought. "_I called him fucking immature last night. Wonder if he heard? Oh, well. I'll just tell him I was drunk and wasn't thinking clearly._" Jack slowed down as he approached the courtroom. Just because he was happy today didn't mean that he was happy about serving his sentence. Maybe he could _pretend_ he was going to his community service location. "_Yeah, yeah!_" He thought. "_I could show up to the Judge, he tells me where to go, and then I head in that general direction until I can't se him no more. Then, I hightail it somewhere where I'll be sure he won't go!" _He ascended the steps and nearly ran into the Judge.

"Ah, Mr. Kelly. I was just about to send out a search party. I was afraid you decided not to show up." Here, the Judge gave Jack a glare that assured him that that would be a very, very bad idea.

"Me? Play hooky? Never!" Jack channeled all his inner death threats into a charming, convincible smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Kelly. I assure you, I almost believe you. Take this," Judge Strauss held out a slip of paper. Jack took it from his hand and studied it. On it, was the address of his new job, written with Judge Strauss' cursive writing.

450 East 52nd

"You will be apprenticed to a furniture maker. Good luck." Judge Strauss promptly turned and walked away.

"Sucker," Jack muttered. He was about to turn and book it out of there, when he heard the Judge call out his name. "Yes?" Jack hissed.

"You might get lost. Take this with you." A policeman stepped out from the shadows. The Judge began laughing as he walked back in the courtroom. It took all of Jack's strength not to drag Judge Strauss out by the hair and start beating him. Jack knew fully well that Judge Strauss didn't care if Jack got lost, he just wanted to make sure that Jack didn't "play hooky."

"Get a move on." The policeman shoved Jack from behind.

" I'm _going,_" Jack huffed. He started walking as he looked at the slip of paper again. He had only ever been near 450 East 52nd once before, and that was back three years ago when the Hotel Monét opened. Jack and the policeman walked in silence. They passed Tibby's, they passed the park, they passed City Hall, and so on. In total, it took them ten minutes to reach their destination, almost all the way to the other side of Manhattan. They passed the Hotel Monét, and Jack knew they had arrived. The hotel was a block away from East 52nd.

Jack stopped in front of their destination. It was a quaint little house, cute, but nothing special. It was one of those townhouses, the ones where they are connected side-by-side with other ones. It was made with dark red brick, and had some ivy growing on the walls. There were three stories, and the first one had a hexagonal window on it. The kind where half of the hexagon is sticking outside, and inside there is room for a little seat. Painted in yellow cursive on the window was "_Whitfield Cabinet Makers_"

"In you go, then." The police officer interrupted Jack's scrutiny of the house. Jack had forgotten he was being followed. Jack climbed the steps and knocked three times. The door was opened by a handsome man, who looked like he was in his mid-thirties, with brown hair and eyes.

"Jack Kelly?" Jack nodded. "Welcome! Judge Strauss said you would be coming today." The man held out his hand, and Jack shook it. Jack noticed that he was well-built. "Come in, it's a bit chilly outside." Jack stepped in the house and turned just in time to see the police officer glaring at him from outside before the man closed the door.

"Sorry, I don't think I introduced myself. Call me Mr. Whitfield. As you can guess, I'm a cabinet maker." Mr. Whitfield gestured around the room. Jack observed the room. Behind the hexagonal window, was an empty space, with a dark green pillow on it. An cozy spot to curl up and read. In front of the window seat was a small round table with the newspaper neatly folded on top. It was surrounded by other chairs, arranged in a circle around the table, no doubt the waiting room. Further back, there was the counter with a shiny black cash register on top. Behind the counter there was a wall painted dark green, like the rest of the room. Half of the wall was covered by a bookshelf that held building supplies, not books. Supplies like glue, hammers, string, and so on. The other half of the wall had a simple white door.

"I see you're looking at my woodshop," Mr. Whitfield noted.

"Yeah. Do you mind if I look inside?" Jack spoke for the first time since he met Mr. Whitfield.

"Of course not! You're gonna be helping me anyways, so why not get familiar with everything?" Mr. Whitfield led Jack behind the counter and through the door. Inside, there was a rectangular table with a chair and some paper on top with schematics and drawings of furniture. The rest of the room was filled with complicated machines Jack had never seen before, along with half-finished projects and discarded pieces of wood. There was one corner of the room which had a finished projects in it. The very back of the room, had a large door on it, presumably for large projects Mr. Whitfield couldn't fit through the regular door.

"Would you like to look upstairs?" Mr. Whitfield suggested.

"Sure." Jack started towards the door, then he heard three sharp knocks on the door.

"Ah. That's probably Mr. Coltwood looking for that broken cupboard door he wanted fixed. Why don't you go on upstairs, Jack, and I'll catch up with you." Mr. Whitfield gestured for Jack to follow him as he exited the woodshop. Outside, Mr. Whitfield pointed Jack to a set of stairs he hadn't noticed before. Jack traipsed up the stairs, amused at the thought of Mr. Whitfield so easily letting a stranger wander around his home unsupervised. Upstairs, Jack found a small kitchen and a rectangular dining table. It reminded him of the David's home, complete with a fire escape and everything. Jack walked over to the window with the fire escape and opened it. The Whitfield house was right in front of the docks. He could see small fishing boats and boys swimming in the Hudson river.

Jack was contemplating using the fire escape to leave when he heard footsteps. He whirled around to see a woman descending yet another flight of steps. Jack unintentionally caught his breath. The woman had fiery red hair that was up in an up do, and navy blue eyes. She looked like she was in her late twenties. Her flawless, creamy white skin seemed to glow with the contrast of her dark olive green dress. Her plump pink lips that previously been in an "O" form at the surprise of seeing Jack quickly formed into a warm smile.

"Hello, Jack. You are Jack, aren't you?" Her navy eyes seemed to peer into his soul as Jack numbly nodded yes. "I'm Mrs. Whitfield." Regaining consciousness, Jack quickly turned on the charm as he stepped towards her.

"The pleasure is all mine." He kissed her smooth pale hand. She withdrew her hand and giggled into it.

"You're quite the charmer, I see." Her laugh was like soft tinkling bells.

"I see you met the missus." Mr. Whitfield ascended the last few steps and stood behind Mrs. Whitfield and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek, and Jack noticed a pink blush forming on the top of her snowy white cheeks and traveling down until it stopped almost at her jaw line. **But Jack's eyes did not stop. They slid down her slender white neck to her rather, ahem, robust form. Jack noticed her dress was rather low-cut. Suddenly, he felt himself "lifting."

"Um, sorry, but you wouldn't happen to have a bathroom here, would you.?" Jack tried to hide his "excitement" with his hands.

"I'm sorry Jack," Mrs. Whitfield began. "We don't have a bathroom here. You're going to have to run down to the Hotel Monét. Just say you're with us and they'll let you use their bathroom." Jack bolted down the stairs and out the door. He noticed that the policeman was gone. He ran a block down to the hotel. He entered and before the manager could kick him out he said "I'm with the Whitfields." and slammed the bathroom door shut. He locked the door so no one could enter when he was there. Quickly, he checked under the stalls to make sure he was completely alone before he took his pants off. Dousing himself with the cold tap water, he thought about how this had never happened to him before, only right when he was about to have sex.**

When he was done, Jack walked back to the Whitfield house praying to God that they hadn't noticed. When he got there, Mr. Whitfield's woodshop door was open and there were strange whirring noises coming from inside. Jack stepped in to find Mr. Whitfield bending over one of those strange machines wearing a weird iron mask over his face.

"Mr. Whitfield!" Jack shouted over the noise. The machine turned off and Mr. Whitfield popped off his mask to look at Jack.

"Hope you don't mind Jack, but I started my new project without you."

"That's okay. Maybe I'll just look and see how you do it before actually helping you and stuff. I've never built anything before."

"Alright. Good idea. You can help me by getting my tools and stuff. Right now I need something called sandpaper. Know what that is?" Jack shook his head no. "It's this small square of rough material that I use on wood to give it a nice smooth feel. It's right outside on my shelf." Jack retrieved the sandpaper and watched as Mr. Whitfield stroked it over a long flat piece of wood. "Know what I'm making Jack?"

"No, Mr. Whitfield."

"I'm making a bookshelf. Just like the one outside. This piece right here is one of the shelves. Want to try?" Mr. Whitfield asked, holding out the sandpaper.

"Ok, but I don't know what to do." Jack tentatively took the sandpaper and sat down next to Mr. Whitfield.

"It's easy," handing the shelf to Jack, Mr. Whitfield explained. "It's all in the wrist. Let your wrist measure how much pressure you're putting into the wood. Now, just slide the paper from down to up on the shelf. Just like I was doing." Mr. Whitfield nodded his approval at Jack as he copied Mr. Whitfield's movements. "Good," Mr. Whitfield encouraged him.

"Mr. Whitfield?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Why does the Hotel Monét let you use their bathroom if you don't live or work there?"

"Because I struck up a deal with them. In exchange for using their bathroom whenever Mrs. Whitfield and I want, I have to donate one piece of furniture to them monthly. This bookshelf right here is going to them."

"But, how is that fair?" Jack inquired. "It doesn't cost them anything if you use their bathroom, but furniture making is your job! You're wasting your time making this for them so they can have it for free when in fact, you could be selling it."

"Actually Jack, I'd say it is fair. It costs them money to have all the waste from their bathroom cleaned out. And plus, at the end of it, is it really worth the extra bucks to not be able to use the bathroom? Ever?" Mr. Whitfield chuckled.

"But where do you shower?"

"Why, the river!" This time, Jack laughed along with Mr. Whitfield. "Come along, let's finish sanding this shelf. Mrs. Whitfield is making some cookies for us. You like cookies?"

"Yeah, I like cookies," Jack grinned, but he wasn't thinking about the same type of cookies Mr. Whitfield was.

* * *

**A/N**

**hey guys! This is a long chapter, I'm making up for not writing it yesterday. It took me three hours to write it, so please be kind and reward my hard work with a review!**

**Also, I need suggestions for future chapters! I have some ideas in my mind, but i need more! So if you guys have any good ideas, submit it in your reviews!**

**P.S. special thanks to Clover Racetrack for reviewing, and to answer your question: yes, yes it should be rated "M!"**


	4. Sparks of Electricity

"…..so then I says, I, I says, 'Money? I thought you said bunny!'" Jack almost fell out of his seat laughing at Race's story. He was at Tibby's the day after meeting the Whitfields. Today was his fourth day of community service, and to be honest, he was looking forward to it.

"Damn, Race, you're getting old!" He joked. He quickly finished his drink and whistled for the attention of one of the waitresses.

"What can I do for you, handsome?" asked a sultry voice. Jack looked up to see a tall dark-haired beauty smiling down at him.

"Check please," he winked at her. The waitress turned and sauntered away with a promise of getting his check.

"Aww, Cowboy, don't go!" Race pleaded.

"Yeah," agreed Skittery. "Just skip your community service. Tell them… Whitefields or whatever that you were sick."

"_Whit_fields," Jack corrected. "And, no. I like them. They're not so bad." Jack was looking for the waitress when he happened to look out the window and spot David, hawking headlines. "_I should talk to him,_" he thought. The waitress came back and handed him a bill, but Jack didn't acknowledge her, his eyes trained on David's figure outside the window as he dug out a handful of coins and threw them on the table.

"Wait! I get off in five minutes…" the waitress proposed, but Jack was already out the door, not bothering to say goodbye to his friends.

"Hey Davie," Jack regretted calling David his old nickname as David turned around and gave him the sort of stink eye you only reserve for people who really piss you off.

"Hey." he nodded curtly.

"What's up?"

"I believe we already had this conversation." David inserted. Jack looked away. "I'm sorry," David sighed. "It's just that things have been really stressful lately. Sarah's wedding is all my parents care about these days. They've completely shut Les and I out of their lives, and now it's all Sarah, Sarah, Sarah! By the way, he misses you," David squinted at Jack in the sun.

"Huh?" Jack inquired.

"Les." David explained. "He misses you."

"You tell him I miss him too." It felt like years since Jack had seen Les. Oh, wait, it has. Ever since Sarah's engagement, Les had started going to the Harrodian School for Boys, courtesy of the Lockton family. Sure Jack saw him sometimes, like the other day when he saw Les walking down the street. But it was just that. Nothing more. That was the only time Les and Jack saw each other, in the middle of the street, walking past each other, Les to school, and Jack to hawk headlines. Their only interaction was waving to each other in these brief moments of reunion.

"Sarah said I should give you a chance." David interrupted Jack's thoughts.

"Yeah?" Jack tried to act surprised. "Are you?" He crossed his fingers behind his back. David paused before answering.

"Yes." David finally said. Jack tried not to show his relief and happiness in his face.

"Do you wanna go swimming tomorrow?" Jack blurted.

"Don't you have community service tomorrow?" David asked. Upon seeing the look of confusion on Jack's face, he quickly added "Sarah told me about it."

"Oh. And to answer you question, yes, but tomorrow's a Saturday. They have to let me off on weekends. Saturdays at least, if not Sunday."

"Ok. Sure. Where? Not the Brooklyn docks, right?" Jack tried to hold back a smile. He knew David didn't fancy seeing Spot.

" 'Course not. I know the perfect place. Meet me here tomorrow and bring your towels and shit. I gotta go now, though."

"See yah."

"Bye." Jack walked towards the Whitfield house with newfound happiness. He finally got his friend back.

* * *

"…so then he says 'Money? I thought you meant bunny!'" Jack laughed along with Mr. Whitfield as he retold Race's story. This kind of joke was too good to let it go unheard.

"That's really funny. You know I had a friend like that. Always hearing the wrong things, always saying the wrong things, always doing the wrong things." Mr. Whitfield reminisced.

"What happened to him?" Jack asked, setting down the hammer he was holding. Jack was in Mr. Whitfield's shop, helping to nail the boards on to the bookshelf.

"We lost touch. Kinda hard to keep up with friends who are nine hundred miles away, huh?"

"Where is he?"

"Memphis, Tennessee. I'm from Memphis you know."

"Really? I didn't know that. Where's Mrs. Whitfield from?"

"South Carolina." Mrs. Whitfield stood leaning against the white door frame, wearing a beautiful light pink dress. "Honey, I'm going to make a trip down to the market. You want anything?"

"You look beautiful today." Mr. Whitfield commented.

"Oh, stop it." Mrs. Whitfield turned away to hide her blush. "Anything from the market?"

"Yes, please. If you don't mind, I would really enjoy some peach cobbler tonight. So peaches, if you can find them."

"Alright. How about you, Jack? You want anything?" Jack was taken aback at this question. Never had anyone in his life asked him if he wanted them to buy anything for them.

"Uh, no, thank you."

"Nonsense! You must want something?" Mrs. Whitfield inquired.

"It'd be rude, Mrs. Whitfield." he countered.

"Now, Jack. You're our guest. I won't have you go hungry the rest of the day."

"Come on, Jack," Mrs. Whitfield pleaded. Jack couldn't say no.

"If you say so, Mrs. Whitfield.."

"Please, stop with all this 'Mrs. Whitfield' nonsense. Call me Jane."

"Jane?"

"Call me James, while you're at it," Mr. Whitfield grinned at Jack.

"Are you sure I can go, M-James?" Jack stood up.

"Of course! I can do the rest by myself. You deserve a break, MJack!"

"Alright then." Jack had a huge grin on his face as he followed Jane out the door.

* * *

Jack and Jane had been walking in silence for a bit, when Jack finally couldn't take it anymore.

"What's your favourite colour?" Jack blurted. He silently cursed himself as Jane gave him an amused sideways glance.

"Pink," she answered.

"Your dress is pink," he said. He cursed himself again as Jane giggled.

"Well, here we are. Say Jack, you mind doing me a favour?" Jack said no.

"I need you to find some oysters for me. I'm making oysters Rockefeller tonight, it's one of James' favorites."

"No problem."

"Thank you." Jane lightly touched Jack's arm and turned and left, leaving tingles on Jack's arm. He watched her disappear into the crowd, and then started looking for oysters. His quest was quickly complete, as there was a large obtuse man hawking oysters right beside him.

"Um, how much one I need to make oysters Rockefeller?" Jack asked the man. The obtuse one eyed Jack up and down.

"For how many people?"

"Just two."

"I'd say about twenty. Ten for each, you know?"

"Twenty, then."

"That'll be four dollars." Jack froze. He forgot about the paying part.

"Um, do you mind waiting? I'm not the one buying these actually." The large man huffed through his nose.

"Fine. But I'll hold on to these while we wait for your friend." Jack puffed out his cheeks. He had no idea when Jane was going to be back. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Mr. Kelly! Not playing truant, are we?" Jack whipped around to see Judge Strauss holding on to his arm.

"No, Judge, you don't understand-"

"I understand enough, Mr. Kelly. Come on, to the refuge we go." The Judge was pulling Jack away, when Jane stepped in from out of nowhere.

"Judge! Do we have a problem here?" Judge Strauss let go of Jack's arm and turned a deep crimson shade. It was obvious he had a thing for her.

"So sorry, Mrs. Whitfield. I thought he neglected to show up today."

"For your information, Jack has been nothing if not saint-like to my husband and I."

"Once again, my apologies." Jack watched the Judge slink away into the crowd. Jane paid for the oysters, and soon her and Jack were on their way to Margie's Bakery.

"You know, that judge has made a pass at me before," Jane quietly said.

"What?"

"When he came over to our house to inform us that you would be coming over. James had gone to get us coffee, and the judge put his hand on my leg."

"Did you tell James?"

"Of course not. James does so much for me already. I didn't feel right making him worry like that. Besides, I'm used to it." Jack didn't say anything, but inside he was furious. That stupid Judge! He fully well knew that Jane is married, and if Jack wasn't mistaken, he was married himself. But in the middle of his thoughts, Jack stopped. Who was he to judge the Judge? He wasn't exactly a saint, no matter how many times Jane said it. He had a relationship with Race's girl behind his back, and thank God that girl moved and Race never found out. And even now, he was walking down the street with a married woman he may or may not have feelings for.

They entered Margie's Bakery, and Jane strode over to the freshly baked buns. Jack trailed behind her, looking around. He heard giggling and turned around to see two girls sitting together at a table, waving at him with salacious smiles plastered on their faces.

"Well, well, Jack. Looks like you're quite the charmer." Jane winked at Jack as he blushed and began helping her choose buns. They each reached in the glass bin and picked the best-looking bun and dropped it into a brown paper bag Jane was holding. It went Jane's hand, Jack's hand, Jane's hand, Jack's hand. For a split-second, Jack's hand moved too fast, and he ended up taking Jane's hand instead of a bun. They stood there, motionless, Jane staring at their hands, and Jack staring at her lovely face. Jane seemed to snap out of her trance, and quickly slipped her hand out of Jack's grip.

"Um, that should be enough to last James and I a week." Jane turned and went to the cash register, leaving Jack standing by the bun bin. She felt it. Jack was 90% sure she felt it. When she touched Jack's arm she didn't, but now she did. When Jack accidentally grabbed her hand, sparks of electricity shot up and down his arm, and judging by Jane's reaction, the same thing happened to her.

"Ready?" Jane asked him, though she didn't meet his eyes.

"Yup." Now he was 100% sure she felt it.

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I came up with another Newsies story, and I was just polishing the plot so I can immediately launch into it when I finish this one.**

**Please review!**


	5. What Jack Saw

**A/N**

**Another racy scene here. I do not own newsies, only the charries you don't recognize.**

**Please be kind and review!**

* * *

"Well, finally. What took so long?" James dropped the hammer he had been holding and walked over to where Jane and Jack were standing, groceries in hand. He kissed her on the lips which made Jack redden and turn away. Not because they had kissed in front of him, he had seen some major PDA violations in his life as a newsie, but because for a second, he pictured _him _kissing her.

"It's getting late. I should go." Jack bent down and set the grocery bag down on the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Jack, I just realized you didn't get anything." Jane stepped towards him.

"I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can give you? You've been so nice to us," James added.

"Actually, there is something you can give me. Can I have tomorrow off?" James looked surprised for a second, but then he cracked a smile.

"Of course. You didn't think we'd make you work on weekends, did you?" Jack laughed.

"No, I guess not. I'll see you guys on Monday, then."

"Bye Jack."

"Take care." Jack took one last look at Jane waving goodbye before shutting he door behind him.

Jack shivered in the fall air as he walked home. The leaves underneath his feet felt good, like when you were a little kid and you went out of your way to step on a crunchy leaf. His eyes followed his feet as they went crunch, crunch, crunch. He started to play a little game. Whichever foot had the best crunch would win. His left foot was currently in the lead. He stepped on a red leaf, and immediately his eyes glazed over. Red, like Jane's hair. He thought about how nice she looked today in her light pink dress. He thought about how good she smelled, like fresh roses. He thought about how close together their hands had been when they walked to the market. He though about how her hand touched his arm when she asked him to look for oysters. But most of all, he thought about how they had held hands, and how she had felt that spark of electricity, same as he did.

"Then why did she deny it?" he wondered aloud. Soon after the jolt had gone through both their arms, she had immediately retreated. She didn't make eye contact with him the rest of the day. When they had gone home-

Of course.

James.

Jack now realized what he had been asking her to do. He was asking her to cheat on her husband. Of course she wasn't going to do that! James was one of the kindest, caring men Jack had ever met. He was right up there with Denton. Over the past few days, James was becoming like a sort of father to Jack. The father he never had.

Jack then realized he had been walking for ten minutes. He looked around at his surroundings and realized he was near Irving Hall. He quickly made a U-turn and headed for the lodging house, furious with himself for letting Jane cloud his senses. But whenever he thought about her, a warm sensation coursed through his body. It felt like passion, longing, ecstasy…guilt. He shouldn't be thinking about her like this. Jane was a married woman. But even though Jack tried to cast her from his mind, she was always there, at the very back, beckoning for him to come over and just give in.

* * *

The day was beautiful the next morning as Jack and David stripped down to their skivvies and launched themselves into the crystalline water.

"So how's your community service?" David asked, treading water.

"S'good. The Whitfields-the people I work for-they're really nice." Jack turned in the water to stare at the Whitfield house, directly in front of the docks, as he remembered it. He strained to see if he could catch a glimpse of Jane through the windows, but then felt silly after realizing they had curtains, so he just stretched out and floated on his back, basking in the warm water as the sun sprayed him with its golden showers.

"Wanna have lunch at my house today?" David asked, breaking Jack out of his trance.

"Sure, but what about your parents?"

"They're the ones who suggested I bring you over." David smacked his hands down in the water, splashing Jack. Jack raised his eyebrows and splashed him back. And so ensued the war of the crystalline waters.

* * *

"Jack, welcome!" Mrs. Jacobs hugged Jack in the sort of motherly hug he had never known.

"Heya, Mrs. Jacobs. How yah been?"

"Oh, tired, what with all this wedding planning business and such." Jack stepped into the Jacobs house and was immediately attacked by Les.

"Cowboy, Cowboy!" Jack hugged little Les in spite of himself and ruffled his hair.

"Hey, Les. Long time no see, huh? Boy, you're getting big! In a couple of years, I'll bet you'll be as tall as me!" Jack felt a hand pat his back and turned to Mr. Jacobs.

"Hey, Jack." Jack and Mr. Jacobs shook hands, and Mr. Jacobs led Jack towards the dining table, even though he already knew where it was. Jack took a chair and sat down, and David did the same. Sarah walked into the room, and her face broke into a smile.

"Jack." She greeted as he stood up off his chair and hugged her. "I have to go help mother with the finishing touches on our meal, but I promise I'll be back out to chat with you." Jack made sure Sarah was out of earshot before he leaned over to David.

"Uhh, listen… that Lockton fellow isn't going to show up, right?" The thought of being in the same room as his engaged ex-girlfriend and her fiancé made Jack shudder. David gave a chuckle.

"Nah, we invited him but there was something he had to do."

"Oh. Okay. Just wonderin'" Jack relaxed in his chair. Les came bounding over and sat on the chair next to Jack.

"How's school going?" Jack asked him

"Oh, it's great! I made lots of new friends and they're really nice and stuff-but obviously not as great as you and the other newsies- and I have the third highest grades in my class and my favourite subject is science and my favourite teacher is Mr. Womack and I have a girlfriend!" Les sputtered out.

"Whoa there, Motormouth! You have a girlfriend?" Jack mused.

"Yeah. She's my friend Willy's older sister and she's really pretty. She's twenty."

"Oh?" Jack sneaked a look over at David, who was rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. I went over to Willy's house a month ago and asked her, and she said yes."

"Wow, look at you! Les Jacobs, the stud!" Les blushed and was about to say something when he heard his mom calling him.

"Be right back," Les hopped off the chair and disappeared into the house.

"So how does it feel, David? Your little brother having a girl before you?" Jack swiveled around in his chair to jokingly leer at David.

"Shut up. She's not actually his girlfriend, she was just playing along when she agreed. Oh, and here's the real kicker: she's a total knock-out."

"Really?"

"Yeah! She has honey blonde hair that curls down to her shoulder, and blue eyes, and smells like heaven."

"Jeez, you got it bad. How do you know all that?"

"I met her when I dropped Les off at Willy's. Can you imagine the expression on my face when Les introduced her as his "girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I can see you now, your jaw down to the floor, your eyes as big as saucers and your generally looking like an idiot in front of the girl of your dreams."

"Once again, shut up."

"Who's ready for lunch?" Mr. Jacobs walked in the room, carrying an enormous turkey on a silver platter. Mrs. Jacobs and Sarah and Les all walked in behind him and took seats around the table. Mr. Jacobs set the turkey down and took his seat at the head of the table.

"Attention, everyone." Jack stopped salivating at the turkey to look at Mr. Jacobs, who had raised his wine-glass. "A toast," he proposed. "To Sarah." Everyone followed suit and raised their wine-glasses, except for Les, who in this case raised his water. "Our beautiful daughter," Sarah blushed. "And now our beautiful engaged daughter!" Jack whooped along with David and Les. They clinked glasses and everyone dug in.

* * *

Sunday the next day was a bore for Jack. It was hot as hell outside, considering it was supposed to be fall. Jack and the others where all stuck inside, fanning themselves with Friday's edition of the paper.

"Damn," Race swore. "What the fuck is happening? It's the middle of October. Anyone up for a poker game?" Everyone groaned and Mush threw a pillow across the room at Race. "Assholes" he muttered.

"I'm going for a walk. Anyone want to come with me?" Everyone said no, and instead of being disappointed, Jack was glad. That meant that he was free to visit the Whitfields. He didn't know what exactly he was going to do there, but he decided to cross that bridge when he got to it. He tried to make it look like he was forcing himself up off his bed and dragging himself out the door, but as soon as he was out, he booked ass down the street.

Five minutes later, he could see the Hotel Monèt, and slowed down to a leisurely walk. He hoped James and Jane wouldn't mind his being there today. He was supposed to have this day off, but since he wasn't doing anything, and it was too hot to go out, he figured they would be sitting at home, just as bored as him. He crossed the street and knocked on their door. No answer. He knocked again. Again, no one came to the door. He tried the doorknob and found it to be open, so he let himself in.

"James?" Jack shut the door behind him. He crossed to the back of the room and checked the workshop. Empty. He headed up the stairs.

"Jane?" The room was also empty. He walked to the window and opened it, letting a refreshing breeze in. Suddenly he heard noises from upstairs. They were coming from the room he hadn't been in before. He want up the stairs expecting to find a room, but instead, found a dark green door that was slightly ajar. He opened it enough just to peek one eye through. He saw a room with a king-sized bed and regal furniture. But that wasn't what he was staring at.

"Oh, James," Jane moaned. James had Jane by the waist and was passionately making out with her. They were standing up, teetering over the bed. Jack held his breath as he saw James unbutton the back of Jane's dress. It slipped off her shoulders, revealing a lacy white bodice. Jane moved down and unbuttoned his pants, and he let them fall to the ground. All of a sudden James threw Jane onto the bed. Jane squealed in delight as James threw himself on top of her. Jack saw everything as Jane's fingernails scratched up and down James' arms as he removed her underwear and threw it aside. Suddenly he was in her, thrusting faster and faster as she yelled out his name. Jack couldn't take it anymore. He tried to be as quiet as possible, and sneaked down the stairs and out of the house and to the Hotel Monèt to douse himself one more time.


	6. Invitation

Jack speed-walked all the way back to the lodging house. What had he just seen? Obviously he had witnessed an intimate moment between two people who loved each other, but it was weird. He shouldn't have gone there. Why didn't he just stay at the lodging house? Jack felt dirty. Like, not physically dirty, but mentally dirty. He needed to wash away all the dirt. He decided to pay a visit to Sarah. If anything, Sarah s innocence could wash away his sin.

* * *

"Knock, knock!" Jack trilled as he pried open the Jacobs front door.

"Jack! What a nice surprise!" Sarah looked up from her needlework and smiled at him. Jack closed the door and joined her on the couch. "And to what do I owe this lovely visit?" She set down her project and folded her hands on her lap.

"Sewing? Shouldn't you be planning a wedding?" Jack grinned at her playfully.

"My mother said that I needed something to take my mind off the wedding. She says it can get really stressful, and that I should do something to take my mind off of it."

"And you chose sewing?"

"Hey! We all have our vices. Mine just happens to be sewing."

"I m just teasing you." Jack's eyes suddenly grew dark and he looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Can you keep a secret?" He whispered. Startled at his sudden soberness, Sarah leaned in.

"Of course."

"Good. What I m about to tell you _cannot_ leave this room. You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise," Sarah breathed.

"Well, here goes; I think I m in love. With a married woman." Jack sat back in his seat and anxiously watched Sarah's face for a reaction.

"Um...wow?" Sarah did not know what to say. When Jack had told her he had a secret, a hundred different things popped into her mind. He had gotten a girl pregnant. He had killed someone. He robbed a bank. He was gay. Nothing could have prepared her for this though.

"_Wow_? I tell you the biggest secret of my life and all you say is _wow?_"

"Sorry. I m just a little surprised, is all. Does she love you back?" Jack sighed.

"It's kind of a long story. Well, not long, but, weird, you know?" Sarah did not know.

"Um-"

"Never mind, I ll just start from the beginning." Jack told her about his trial. Meeting the Whitfields. Working for them. James. Jane. His encounter with the Judge. The sparks. He even told her about seeing James and Jane go at it, though he left out a few parts, lest she be slightly disgusted. "So? What should I do? Jack pleaded.

"Well, first of all, I m happy for you. I m glad you found someone you care so much about. But on the other hand, she's married. That makes things a little bit more difficult." Sarah bit her lip. "Can I be honest with you, Jack?"

"Yeah,"

"Forget about her."

"What?" her blunt response startled him.

"In all honesty, it would be a bad idea for you to pursue her. You told me you respect James. If you truly respect him, and Jane, then you will forget about her. Finish your community service, keep your head down, your eyes low and your tail between your legs. This can only end in heartbreak."

"Alright." He agreed with her. It was a bad idea to pursue Jane. But why did it feel so good?

"I have to get started on dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with us?" Sarah changed the subject.

"Thanks, but no. I gotta get back to my boys." Jack declined, standing up.

"Oh! Before I forget, please, take this!" Sarah leapt from her spot on the couch and grabbed something from the kitchen drawer.

"What's this?" Taking it from her outstretched hand, Jack studied it.

"An invitation." It was a smooth white envelope. Written on the back in loopy gold ink was 'Jack Kelly'. "I want you to be the first one. Open it!" Sarah insisted. Jack did as he was told. Inside was a card, with more loopy writing in it.

"You are formally invited to the wedding of Miss Sarah Emily Jacobs and Master William Abraham Jones Lockton the Third, on the fourth of November 1901, on Amsterdam Avenue, Morningside Heights. Formal attire only." Jack read aloud. "Sarah. Thank you." He hugged her.

"You can go right?" Sarah turned her big doe-eyes on Jack. "I ll even let you invite someone."

"Of course I'll go! Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Do you mind inviting all the Manhattan boys too? I couldn't make invitations for all of them, so I need you to tell them yourself."

"Course I ll invite them! They love a good party." But the Manhattan boys weren t the only ones Jack was planning on inviting.

* * *

Jack couldn't look James in the eye on Monday. It was weird, to have seen someone he respected so much in such a... well, compromising situation.

"...and for a smooth finish, I just moisten a wet cloth and run it over the wood. That gets rid of all the little dust pieces we sanded off." James said, while rubbing a cloth over the wood. James looked up at Jack and sighed. "Alright, Jack." Setting down the cloth, his face turned serious. "What s on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"I m not an idiot, Jack. Anyone with half a brain can see you re very distracted right now." James said with a soft grin.

"Yeah. Well, it's stupid."

"No it s not. You can tell me."

"Well, I was wondering if, maybe, you would-well not just you, Jane too- would maybe like to accompany me-as friends, obviously- to a wedding?" Jack squeaked out. Why was he so embarrassed?

"Oh. Whose is it?"

"My friend's. Her name is Sarah." James face split into a smile.

"Of course, Jack. We re friends aren t we? When is it?"

"When's what?" Jane had flitted into the woodshop and was carrying a tray with a jug of water and two glass cups.

"Jack's invited us to a wedding."

"How lovely! Who's?" Jane set the tray down and began filling the cups with water.

"My friend's. She said I could invite you guys. She'd love to meet you." Jack stood up from his seat on the floor, followed by James.

"Well, make sure you thank her for us. When's the date?" Jane asked handing Jack and James their drinks.

"November fourth." Jack gladly accepted the drink and downed the crisp, cool water.

"Shoot. November fourth? That s three days before I leave." James set down his cup.

"Leave?" questioned Jack, also setting down his cup.

"On November first I m heading up to Port Chester to receive my shipment of Brazilian Cherry wood. I have to leave early so I can be there when the shipment arrives. It s a very expensive wood and I need it for a special order I got from a British duke.

"The Duke of Warrow? The one that came in two weeks ago?" Jane asked.

"Yes. He s a very powerful fellow, see, and if I can fulfill his order and build him a bureau for his office in Warrow, he can set me up with some very rich friends of his."

"Can t you just get the shipment after the wedding? Leave the next day?"

"I'm afraid not, Jack. The captain of the shipment boat said that they would only arrive on the fourth. It takes me three days to get to Port Chester, one day to receive the shipment, and another three days back, in total, seven days. The Duke said he was leaving on the twelfth, so that leaves me four days to build his desk for him. I'm just too busy."

"Bummer," Jack was honestly disappointed James couldn t go.

"Well. It would be my pleasure, Jack, if you could accompany me to wedding." Jane jokingly stuck out her elbow for Jack. Smiling, jack looped his elbow around hers.

"Why, certainly madam." Jack felt giddy at the thought. It was almost like a date.

"Perfect! Jane can go to the wedding with you. That s settled then." James sais with a final clap of his hands.

Jack felt like he flying as he walked home that night. A whole week alone with Jane. What s the worst that could happen?

* * *

** A/N Hey guys. Sorry I left for soooo long and didn't update. now before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. My computer had just gotten it's second virus in five months, and anyone's who's had a virus before knows that they take forever to fix, and you lose all your stuff. So with this chapter I had to basically start from scratch because all my chapters got deleted. Also, I started my second semester in high school, and this time i actually had to work hard because I had math, french, and geography, the the Terrible Trio. So I was very busy studying for my exams, which were last week. Another reason was that I kind of lost my inspiration for this story. When I started it I was so excited, but then a few weeks passed and my muse turned to other things. I have a very short attention span when it comes to stories, and before I even finished this one, I had already come up with four other fics. But now that it's summer vacation, i will try my hardest to finish this story so I can start writing my other ones!**

**Thanks for sticking with me!**


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